About the Green Ribbon

See Change, the National Stigma Reduction Partnership and our 90 partner organisations are rolling out a month long national Green Ribbon Campaign to get people talking openly about mental health problems in May 2016

More than 500,000 green ribbons will be distributed nationwide free of charge to spark a national conversation about mental health in boardrooms, break-rooms, chat rooms, clubhouses, arts venues, college campuses and around kitchen tables throughout Ireland. Our aim is to make the month of May every year synonymous with promoting open conversation of mental health and challenging the stigma of mental health problems.

You don’t need to be an expert to start talking about mental health or have all the answers. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is to let someone know that you are there for them and simply listen.

Talk, but listen too: Simply being there will mean a lot.

Take your lead from the person: As a first step, ask them how best you can help.

Interested in organising a Green Ribbon event or initiative for your community or workplace?

Watch this space for Green Ribbon 2017 kicking off next May.

See Change has launched its Green Ribbon Impact Report 2016. According to a nationally representative omnibus survey conducted on behalf of See Change, the Green Ribbon campaign has been successful in increasing conversations about mental health and combating stigma, with 9 in 10 people agreeing that it is important to talk about our mental health.

Among the key findings from Millward Brown was that a growing number of Irish adults feel the Green Ribbon campaign has encouraged them to start conversations on mental health and that they are now equally as likely to have conversations with friends and family or colleagues alike, which are positive indicators.

71% say the Green Ribbon campaign has encouraged them to start conversations about mental health (up from 66% in 2015)

91% of adults acknowledged the importance of talking openly about mental health in Ireland (up from 86% in 2015).

75% say they now feel more comfortable in having conversations about mental health (consistent with 2015)

65% have been hearing conversations about mental health among family and friends since the campaign (up from 62% in 2015)

61% have been hearing mental health conversations in their workplaces since the campaign (up from 53% in 2014 and consistent with 2015)

Our thanks go to the hundreds of See Change partners, ambassadors, volunteers and community activists that made the campaign such an incredible success in 2016.

Why talk about mental health?

Research conducted by See Change, revealed that in Ireland in 2012 despite the fact that more and more people identify with experiencing a problem with their mental health, the associated stigma means that mental health problems are simply not talked about and remain hidden.

56% of Irish people would not want others to know about their mental health problem, up from 50% in 2010.

28% would delay seeking treatment for fear of someone else knowing about their mental health problem, up from 18%in 2010.

41% would hide a mental health from friends, up from 32% in 2010.

24% would conceal a mental health problem from family, up from 13% in 2010

The silence around mental health can stop people from reaching out or seeking help. Often the fact that it's difficult to talk about mental health problems can be one of the hardest parts of having a mental illness. It can lead to the loss of friendships, feeling isolated and slower recovery.

It doesn't have to be this way. Every one of us can do simple things to play our part in breaking the silence of stigma.